A Minister’s Wife - a musical adaptation of Candida

Lincoln Center Theater (LCT) has announced plans to produce the New York premiere of A Minister's Wife, a new musical adapted from George Bernard Shaw's 'Candida' by Austin Pendleton, with music by Joshua Schmidt and lyrics by Jan Tranen during its 2010-2011 season.

A Minister's Wife, which was conceived and will be directed by Michael Halberstam, will open at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater on 5 May 2011, following previews from 7 Apr 2011.

LCT's first Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater production for next season will be announced at a later date.

A Minister's Wife had its world premiere last spring at Writers' Theatre in Glencoe, Illinois. Based on an early 1898 version of Candida (George Bernard Shaw revised the work in 1930) A Minister's Wife explores the fires burning beneath the surface of a seemingly ordinary marriage: The Revered James Morrell and his wife, Candida, are happily married - or at least they think - until a romantic young poet enters their life, turning their world upside-down.

Austin Pendelton is an actor, director and playwright whose recent plays include 'Booth,' 'Orson's Shadow' and 'Uncle Bob.' His recent New York directing credits include 'Uncle Vanya' (Classic Stage Company), Michael Weller's 'Fifty Words' (MCC) and Barbara Eda-Young's 'Lillian Yuralis' (La MaMa).

Joshua Schmidt composed the music for the multi-award winning musical, 'Adding Machine.' His other off-Broadway credits include the music for LCT'S current production of 'When The Rain Stops Falling,' 'Fifty Words' (MCC), 'Crime and Punishment' (59E59 Theatres) and 'Candida' (Jean Cocteau Repertory). He is an Artistic Associate at Writers' Theatre.

Jan Tranen's credits include the lyrics for the one-act opera, 'Night in Sarajevo' and the book and lyrics for the musicals, 'Crazy Mary,' based on the life of Mary Todd Lincoln, and 'Steadfast the One Legged Tin Soldier,' a family holiday musical.

Michael Halberstam is the artistic director and co-founder of Writers' Theatre where he has directed more than 30 productions including 'Look Back In Anger,' 'Benefactors,' 'Othello' and 'The Duchess of Malfi.'

LCT productions scheduled for the 2010-2011 season include 'Women on the Verge of A Nervous Breakdown,' a new musical based on the film by Pedro Almovódar, with book by Jeffrey Lane, music and lyrics by David Yazbek and direction by Bartlett Sher which will begin performances Saturday 2 Oct at the Belasco Theatre, 'A Free Man of Color,' a new play by John Guare, directed by George C. Wolfe, which will begin performances 21 Oct at the Vivian Beaumont Theater and, in a co-production with the National Theatre of Great Britain, 'War Horse,' based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo and adapted by Nick Stafford with direction by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, beginning performances 17 Mar 2011 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Lincoln Center Theater is currently celebrating its 25th year with a season consisting entirely of new work. This fall LCT presented the New York and world premieres of Nathan Louis Jackson's 'Broke-ology,' directed by Thomas Kail, Sarah Ruhl's 'In The Next Room or the vibrator play,' directed by Les Waters, and Anne Marie Healy's 'What Once We Felt,' directed by Ken Rus Schmoll.

This spring, LCT is producing the American premiere of Andrew Bovell's 'When The Rain Stops Falling,' directed by David Cromer through to 18 Apr at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater and the LCT3 productions of 'Graceland' a new play by Ellen Fairey, directed by Henry Wishcamper (3 - 29 May), and 'On The Levee' a play with music, conceived and directed by Lear deBessonet, written by Marcus Gardley and featuring music and lyrics by Todd Almond (14 Jun - 10 Jul). LCT's Tony Award winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's 'South Pacific,' directed by Bartlett Sher, continues its record-breaking run in the Vivian Beaumont Theater throughto 22 Aug 2010.

Austin Pendleton